
UNIVERSITY of Newcastle student filmmakers have received international recognition at Hollywood's IndieX Film Festival.
UON media production student and the film's director Mitchell Treharne, 22, said it was "surreal" to see the students' nine minute work The Rite of Writing selected for the festival and win awards for the best student comedy and best student parody, as well as an outstanding achievement award for student director.
"It was an excellent project, everyone on the team worked incredibly hard and I think we should all be proud of this achievement that we have earned," Mr Treharne said.
"To get Hollywood recognition for a film you've worked on - not many people can say they've had something like that happen to them."
The film crew comprised producer Makayla Cocking, writer Matthaus Schumacher, cinematographer Ike Leggett, production designers Samuel Adamson and Lachlan Alderson, sound designer Isaiah Zorro and editor Julienne Fox.
Mr Treharne said the film was completed over two months as part of some of the students' short film course.
It follows a screenwriter forced to collaborate with three other writers, each with a different view of how the film they are working on should play out on the screen.
"It's reflective of having to work on group projects, that's what we were basing it off," he said.
"None of us have been in a professional film writing room environment, but we know working in group projects through university and with people we didn't want to work with!"